Kristina Svechinskaya, dubbed the "world's sexiest computer hacker" after a daring internet heist in New York, has had her sentencing postponed until April, reports Russian Legal Information Agency.
Svechinskaya and 37 others allegedly used dummy bank accounts, fake passports and a Zeus Trojan to pilfer $3 million from U.S. banks and another $9 million British banks. Svechinskaya's role was as a "money mule."
From the original FBI report:
SVECHINSKAYA has allegedly opened at least five accounts under her own name and under the aliases "Anastasia Opokina" and "Svetlana Makarova" at Bank of America and Wachovia, into which over $35,000 was fraudulently deposited, affecting three victims, and from which approximately $11,000 was successfully withdrawn.
Svechinskaya was reportedly included in the group for her connections to hacker/techie culture and her ability to get a hold of fake passports. The team also prized her for her obvious charisma, a trait that would come in handy when conducting operations under an alias.
Svechinskaya, one of four New York University students involved in the heist, reportedly left behind a rough life in Russia. Her father had died, and her mother and grandmother lived in near poverty.
Investigators say the crime was organized and planned in Eastern Europe, and eventually implemented in New York.
What investigating officers called "one of the largest cyber criminal cases" they had ever dealt with relied on a Trojan which monitored key strokes in order to steal passwords. The organization then used the passwords to siphon at least "$2 million" a month, according to the FBI.
Svechinskaya pled guilty on Nov. 19, 2010, and faces up to 40 years in jail.
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